Dodging Raindrops

 Sitting at home and waiting for body parts to heal is never fun. In fact it can be down-right boring.  Ann Marie and I are both favoring different parts of our bodies right now, trying our best not to antagonize anything and make it worse.

    We decided to break things up a bit and take a small road trip. We’d do a couple geocaches, stop for a cup of coffee at a favorite coffee shop and then head home. We wouldn’t go far and we’d limit our activities. Tuesday looked like the day for it, our schedules were both clear.

    On the road, we passed the new location of our favorite farm store. Pulling in we found out that it was their second day open. (Their official opening will be on Wednesday) Harvest Valley Farms is where we go for fresh veggies and fruits. They also carry meats from local butchers and best of all, their fresh baked pies and baked goods are delicious! Their new location has a large area for plants, along with a greenhouse. They had herbs, flowers and tomatoes to name just a few. The humid smell of the plants growing in the greenhouse started us thinking about our own gardens, bringing back the urge to dig our hands into the soil.

    We did some geocaches located on some back roads we hadn’t been on before. One of the caches we found was my 2500^th find! The best cache we did was inside a small local “free” library. The cache itself was a hollowed out book. How cool! A couple of them were beside a small stream, running fast with dirty brown water from the recent rains. We were dodging rain during the whole trip, dark clouds and rain one minute and then sunshine and brilliant colors the next.

    We stopped for coffee and spent some time watching the customers come and go. It was a never-ending parade of people. There were different styles of dress, different types of drinks and snacks and also, different speeds. Some were in and out in a minute or two while others, in a more leisurely mood, stopped to talk with friends. Some came in to work. Laptops and paperwork were set up on their tables. The smell of fresh coffee hung heavy in the air mixing nicely with an undercurrent of conversation. It is a very comfortable place, and we never tire of it. The time always passes quickly.

    We did a one more cache after we left. Having not planned on doing it, I never wrote down the co-ordinates or entered them in the GPS. I knew where it was located and since we were only a “few” miles away, we went over to see if we could find it. From reading the cache description, I knew it was hanging on a gate. The problem was finding the gate; it was lying in the woods, not far from the gateposts. After 3 or 4 minutes, we had found it! I always get a kick out of finding a cache without using the GPS. Some caches are extremely obvious hides and are easy to find while others require a bit of searching. This was one of the latter.

    We also made a quick stop at the Winfield Furnace involving another “short” detour but well worth it. The rain we had been driving in and out of had started up again. The furnace and the pathway leading to it were surrounded with flowering trees and their scent was overpowering. If only it could be bottled! It was heady and made me forget about the rain. I didn’t care that my camera and shoes were getting wet. The combination of rain and flowers carried me away. These smells are the things that dreams are made of, the smells I look forward to each year, the smells of springtime.

    It was only 5 miles away home when we ran into our first road block. We had passed hundreds of uprooted trees, remnants of last Tuesdays storms. Huge trunks lay on their sides and wide lateral roots stood high on edge, chain sawed ends faced roadways and driveways, unruly piles of limbs sat adjacent to the pavement, all of them cleared from the roads to allow passage. We were almost most home when we finally got caught, a ¼ mile from the last turn and we came across a wooden horse with a “road closed” sign on it. Tire tracks in the edges of the yards showed that we weren’t the first to have to turn around. A detour of about a mile and we were back on our route.

    We were both glad to be home. We both handled the drive with only minimal discomfort. The wonderful smells of the flowers, shrubs and trees made the ride enjoyable and the colors of the new foliage, dampened by the rain and lit by the sun peeking through dark clouds gave each turn in the road another view of Mother Nature’s handiwork! It turned out to be a great day for a ride, our boredom was quickly forgotten.

Christmas Spirit in the Strip

 

For years now, Ann Marie and I have been going to the Strip District on Christmas Eve. It is always a fun jaunt into a world of excitement, drama, fun, families and friends.

    Our agenda is rather simple, we park and then walk from one end of the Strip to the other, enjoying the ambiance of the last day of shopping before Christmas. We stop and get something to snack on at Enrico Biscotti Company and then go around the corner to get a cup of coffee at La Prima Espresso. Then we sit down, if we can find a table, and people watch.

    Very rarely was anyone upset, the faces were all smiling and the kids were soaking the in the excitement, creating memories for their futures. People were overloaded with bundles of food in their arms, sticks of pepperoni hanging out of boxes and bags of presents yet to be wrapped. The smells of the products inside the stores drifted out to the sidewalks, attempting to entice us to stop in. People were lined up outside the stores and restaurants, patiently waiting their turn. 

    There were dog walkers and people standing on the edges with cups, hoping for a donation or two. People were lined up at the food vendors and eating their snacks as they went towards their next stop. Groups wore similar hats, perhaps to keep track of each other? Ugly sweaters could be seen underneath jackets and red and green seem to be the predominant colors.

    Even though the vendors and counter-people were harried and over worked, they were all happy and in a festive mood. The line at La Prima Espresso Company was out the door but the wait is always worth it. The shop smelled like a coffee shop should! The coffee was rich and strong and it went perfectly with our sweets from around the corner. Today it was almond biscotti, perfectly baked and as expected, delicious!

    The people we shared the sidewalk with were having espresso, cappuccino and hot chocolate. Boxes of pizza sat on some tables and others had bags of goodies like ours, sitting beside their steaming cups of coffee.

    We sat right beside the door and often we couldn’t see past the line of people waiting to get their orders filled. They stood in groups and talked amongst each other, discussing their future plans or telling what has happened since they saw each other last. There were hugs and loud exclamations when acquaintances saw each other, their joy spreading out among the others sitting and standing near-by. We listened to other's conversations, it wasn’t snooping, it was unavoidable. The problems of the world weren’t a topic to be discussed this morning; it was all about happiness and the upcoming holidays.

    Fashion was a big thing in our observations. The different styles and colors are always fun to see and to discuss. Hats and hoodies, shorts, sweatshirts and dress jackets, boots, tennis shoes and sandals, the variety was astounding. We all have our own “type” of dress and it is always fun to see other styles on display.

    As the clock neared 11 and our coffee cups emptied, we got up and continued our walk. We stopped in the S & D Polish Deli and got some Jalowcowa, or Juniper Berry Kielbasa, and a couple meat sticks. We talked about when the store first opened and the owner’s children helped to man the counters, another pleasant memory from years gone by.  

    Driving back towards home we continued watching the people on the streets as we passed by. An occasional upset driver would lean on their horns, impatient with the waits but everyone else was happy, at least that is the way they looked to us, and that is the way we want to remember them. The world looked beautiful through our eyes, today our problems were forgotten and the more important things have taken the stage, love, family and happiness!

    Merry Christmas,

Happy Hanukah,

Happy Holiday

and Happy New Year!!!

An Early Sunday Morning

 Steam was rising from my coffee cup. Its dark liquid was invigorating me and keeping my hands warm as I stood outside in the early morning. The trees were just dark shapes and the sky was still attempting to brighten up. The moon cast a shadow behind me into the yard. Bright stars were still visible though they were slowly disappearing. The air was cool and refreshing, it smelled clean and fresh. There was a slight smell of dried leaves in it. It was the smell of fall and the approach of winter.

    The whirr of a furnace lent a bit of a background noise along with the soft murmuring of cars in the distance. The noises were barely noticeable in the pre-dawn.

    Coming out of the trees in the west a bright spot appeared. It wasn’t an airplane; it was a satellite with three human beings in it! Their sunrise had already happened. It was the sun shining off the surface of the ship that made it visible. This sunrise was one of many sunrises the astronauts on board see every day. It takes their space station about an hour and a half to circle the earth, so their day is filled with sunrises and sunsets.

    I watched as the space station drifted between the Moon and the planet Jupiter. Stars were getting fainter and disappearing as I watched. Unlike the stars the satellite got brighter as it moved towards the east and the approaching sun. I watched as it slipped between some trees and finally disappeared into the orange tinged horizon.

    Returning inside, I rinsed out my mug and finished my preparations for Church. Going out to the car, the trees had gone from black to a combination of dull oranges and yellows. The sky was now pale blue with a peach colored horizon. Sitting in the car as it warmed up I watched as the trees brightened, preparing for the burst of beauty that would occur when the sun first hits them and reveals their true fall colors.

    The shadows from the moon were gone and depth of the blue in the sky was increasing as I drove up the hill to Church. Sitting in the pew, the first bright beams of the newly risen sun hit the wall above the altar, and I knew that my trees at home were glowing!  I knew it was going to be a wonderful day. I returned my thoughts to the Mass and gave thanks for all the wonderful things I've been given. What a great way to start a day!

Rainy Day

Sitting in a small coffee shop, I look out of the window and watch as the traffic goes by. Thinking as the cars speed by, it seemed as if I’ve been doing this a lot, staring out the window.  So much of the day has spent doing this as compared to going outside and breathing in the fresh air. The weather tends to enforce this, the driving rain just isn’t inviting.

    It is another typical grey Pittsburgh day. The promise of rain came true, it has arrived. “Dismal” could be used to describe the day. There are no bright colors, nothing shines. Even the hoods and sides of the cars appeared muted.

    It is hard to be optimistic on days such as this. The chores around the house had been finished, a prescription still needs to be picked up at the local pharmacy and after that, the days plans will be completed.

    A fresh urn of coffee is being brewed, that is something worth looking forward to! A donut sits in a brown paper bag on the table. Decisions, decisions, should I wait for the coffee or just dig in, that is the question. I chose to wait for the coffee and continue to stare out the window and think.

    Looking at the uninspiring parking lot, the rain increases to a downpour. Going out to the car will involve getting drenched. The view from the window is a perfect spot to wait it out. Especially since a fresh cup of coffee is now in my hand.

    I had the idea that I would go out in search for some photos. A grey day didn’t mean that there wasn’t anything worth taking a picture of. The opportunities are endless no matter what the weather might present.

    Halfway through my cup of coffee the rain tapers off a bit, enough that I can make the “run” to the car. Back on the road, people in a hurry speed past me, their tires splashing my windshield and obscuring my view. The rains intensified again as I slowly make my way towards my pharmacy and then my nice, dry house.

    Thinking about photography, I realized that the only way I’d get any pictures today would involve getting very wet in the process. Still…the shots are always there, constantly changing as the day progresses and the weather changes. They are there; I just have to SEE them, I just have to get a little wet.

    The rain tapers off a bit so I take a short drive to a favored spot. Wildlife occasionally show themselves here, perhaps something will today.

    The rain has slowed to a mist, so I get out and take a short walk. I take a few pictures but nothing excites me. The rain increases again and I return to the car with nothing of importance stored in the camera.

    Then, it’s back to the quiet solitude of my home. A fresh cup of home brewed coffee, a partially read book to read and then, maybe a few more minutes of staring out the window…thinking about the pictures I could’ve gotten.

The Christmas Eve Cruise- 2020

 

The Christmas Eve Cruise-2020

                The weather forecast was rather ominous; rain most of the day and then dropping temperatures leading into snowfall. The weather gurus were warning about travel problems and slippery roads. The bad conditions were due to start around 7 in the morning.

                Ann Marie and I had been thinking about taking a drive. Even though it might be a miserable day, we thought it would be nice to get out of the house for awhile and take a cruise in the car. We could do that and still remain “safe”. We decided to head north to the town of Franklin.

                The morning dawned with rain falling. The roads were wet but the temperatures were in the mid-40’s. The weather prognosticators had pushed the freezing temperatures and snow squalls back so things looked good for a drive. We were on the road by 9:30.

                In the second county we visited, Butler, we stopped to pick up a couple cups of coffee because we all know that a long drive always goes better with some hot coffee! The coffee was weak, I think there might have been some caffeine in it but I’m not really sure. It was served in a coffee cup so it must’ve been coffee...it was hot and it had a slight taste of coffee so I’m pretty sure that is what it was. (sigh)

                We stopped alongside the road about 8-10 miles out of Franklin to try and locate a Heron rookery. (also called a Heronry)  The last time we had been here it had been snowing, the road was covered and we turned around before we reached Franklin. We pulled over to try and find the tree covered with nests but we couldn’t see any more than 10-20 feet. Everything beyond was white. We didn’t stay long.

This year we were able to locate it. About 100 yards away from the road it almost looked as if the tree had flower blossoms on it. Dark objects sat near the ends of the limbs. With the binoculars we could see that they were bunches of sticks, nests hanging on the branches. There were no herons around. Most herons migrate to warmer climates during the winter. The tree has been their northern home for many years. Some of the older nests can be as large as four feet across and just as deep.

                After finding the rookery we continued into Franklin. The rain let up a bit giving us the opportunity to walk around the main part of town.

 We window shopped and got a couple cups of REAL coffee for the trip back. We had packed a couple sandwiches and ate them in the car. (Ham and cheese on 7 grain sour dough bread) We took Rt. 322 over to Brookville driving through Clarion on the way. A quick stop alongside the Clarion River to admire the fog gave us another chance to stretch our legs. The rain sent us back to the car quickly. In Brookville, we drove through the center of town but the rain kept us in the car.

Interestingly enough, Brookville is the county seat of Jefferson County. Franklin is the county seat of Venango County and Clarion is the county seat of Clarion County and to round it out, Butler is the county seat of Butler County. Our journey took us past Kittanning, the county seat of Armstrong County but we didn’t actually drive through it. We should have driven through Pittsburgh to add Allegheny County to the “County Seat” list. In all we passed through six counties on our journey.

                We nearly ran out of gas near Freeport. We had been watching the gas prices and the stations nearest to home were the cheapest. I just happened to look at the gas gauge and saw we had about 20 miles of gas left in the tank. A stop at the next gas station fixed that problem. Home was about 25 minutes away. We got back home around 3:30, the temperatures were still in the 40’s. The rain had increased but we were still snow free. We had traveled about 206 miles.

                It was five or six hours of watching the Pennsylvania scenery slip past our windows. The troubles of the world were left behind, just Ann Marie and me, warm and dry enjoying each other’s company. Listening to Christmas songs on the radio and sometimes singing along with em. What a nice way to spend Christmas Eve!